Moistening device



Dec. 6, 1932. F. w. STORCK 1,839,911

MOISTENING DEVICE Filed Oct. 24. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 6, 1932. F, w T R 1,889,911

MOISTENING DEVICE Filed Oct. 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK W. STOBCK, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD MAILING- MACHINES COMPANY, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS MOISTENING DEVICE Application filed October 24, 1929. Serial No. 402,176.

My invention relates to moistening devices of the general type wherein the article to be moistened, such as an envelope or gummed tape, is passed across the moistener and draws water therefrom which is normally retained in the apparatus through the medium of a barometric column.

It has been the primary object of my present invention so to organize the discharge passage of my apparatus that water will not escape through it too readil when the device is agitated either by or inary handling or when it is mounted in a machine subject to vibration. It has also been my object so to organize my water discharge outlet that it may function regularly and uniformly.

My device may be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate my moistener so proportioned and mounted as to be particularly adapted for use as a piece of oflice desk equipment for moistening envelope flaps, and gummed tapes, although it will be readily understood that without substantial change of form it may be variously mounted and adapted to use in other situations and for other purposes. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly broken away to show a vertical cross section through the center of the device.

Fig. 2 is a top view with the water supply bottle removed showing the flap of an envelope, indicated by broken lines, in operative position to be moistened as it is passed across the mouth of the water discharge orifice.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the casting which forms both the support for the water bottle and also the discharge spout.

Fig. 4: is a cross section view on line 4- 1 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Fig.8.

1g. Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the casting shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is. a top view of the device with the water bottle and the guide plate removed.

Fig. 9 is a cross section view on line 9-9 6 is a cross section on line 6-6 of of Fig. 2 showing a strip of material in operative contact with the upper surface of the spout and under the influence of the guide p ate.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 is a hollow metal base provided with lugs 2 to which are attached rubber feet 3 by means of screws 4. The base 1 has a flat top portion 5 and is provided with openings 6 and 7 Mounted on this flat portion 5 of the base 1 is a metal casting 8 the bottom of which is machined to a flat surface which may closely and accurately engage the flat top portion 5 of the base 1 to which it is firmly attached by soldering. The back portion 9 of the casting 8 is cylindrical and carries an integral, centrally disposed nipple 10 which communicates with the hollow interior of the cylindrical back portion 9.

The front of the casting 8 is extended to form a spout 11, the top surface of which slants downward toward its tip with abruptly sloping sides (Figs. 5 and 6). The under side of the casting 8 is provided with a passage 12 (Fig. 7 which communicates with the hollow interior of the cylindrical back portion 9 of the casting 8 at one end and, at the other end, with a second smoothly milled slot or passage 13'which extends along a considerable part of the under side of the spout 11 and communicates with the very much more narrow slot 1 1 out with a circular saw in the top of the spout 11 throughout the greater part of its length. As will be noted in Figs. 3 and 7 this narrow slot 14: overlies a large part of the slot 13 and approaches it at an angle but does not enter it from above except toward its outer extremity whence the slot 14 extends almost to the tip of the spout l1.

Attached to the top of the casting 8 and retained in position by the screws 15 which enter threaded holes 16 in the casting 8 is a 'U-shaped guide plate 17, the inner edges of which are depressed so that they lie in close proximity to the sides of the spout 13 at a level slightly lower than the ridge of its top iurface, through which ridge is cut the slot The floor 18 of the hollow interior of the base 1 slopes backwardly (Fig. 1) and carries a pad of absorbent material 19.

A Water bottle 20 is mounted on the nipple 10, there being a rubber gasket 21 secured to the interior of the neck of the bottle so that a water-tight engagement may be made with the nipple 10.

A small air intake hole 22 is bored through the casting 8. This hole is preferably about in diameter, and the water outlet slot 14 is preferably about.012wide,which width I find suitable to supply sufficient water for moistening envelope flaps or gummed tape, although it will be understood that a different dimension might be required for other work, and the air intake hole 22 or other suitable air intake means may be controlled by an adjustable valve.

The operation of my device is as follows:

The water bottle 20 is removed and sub stantially filled with water. The nipple 10 is then inserted therein and the device is placed in the upright position shown in Fig. 1. If the water outlet passages are dry, it frequently happens that water will not flow readily into them at the outset, so as to bring the water level at the top of the slot 14. In this case, the device is agitated to bring the water up to the top of the slot 14, and the device is then ready for use.

An envelope or tape to be moistened is inserted'under the end of the U-shaped guide plate 17 and backward into engagement with the top of the spout 11. The envelope flap or gummed tape will be flexed so as to engage the top of the spout 11 on both sides of the slot 14, and as the envelope or gummed tape is drawn across the slot, it will withdraw Water therefrom, due, no doubt, partly to the influence of suction and partly to the breaking of the surface tension of the water and the absorbtive power of the glue on the envelope flap or gummed tape.

My device has the advantage that the water content is not perceptibly diminished by evaporation when the device is not in use, and moreover, when in use, it will dispense the water in a uniform and positive manner. The water will also be retained against accidental leakage arising from shaking or vibratory influences, as surging pulsations set up in the water by jarring or vibration in the water are baflled and absorbed by the formation and arrangement of the Water passages in the spout. The passage 13 being much narrower than the passage 12, itresults that surging pulsations in the passage 12 are baffled and absorbed by the end of that passage adjacent to the point of entry of the passage 13, and, likewise, pulsations in the passage 13 are baffled and absorbed by the end of that passage adjacent to the point of entry of that part of the passage 14 which extends forward toward the tip of the spout, and pulsations upward through that part of passage 14 which communicates with the passage 13 from above are spread laterally and absorbed in the passage 14, which firmly retains its water charge by the influence of capillary attraction and skin friction because of the slight separation of the sides of this passage 14. Hence, the passage 14 retains water quite securely against accidental discharge.

Unintended discharge of water will, of course, result from changes in atmospheric temperature, which increase the negative pressure at the top of bottle 20. Such slight and occasional overflow of water will run off the sides of the spout and through the slots 6 and 7 into the bottom chamber of the base Where it will run down the slanting floor 18 and become absorbed by the absorbent pad 19 and become subject to evaporation into the atmosphere.

As water is withdrawn from the slot 14 in the course of the use of the device, the proper balance of pressure in the barometric column of water Will be mantained by the entrance of air through the small hole 22 which is preferably located above the discharge area and adjacent the neck of the bottle. I find it de sirable to have some separate means for air to enter the barometric column since the small outlet discharge slot 14 apparently holds its charge of water under such tension resulting from capillary attraction that air cannot readily bubble throu h it and run back through the substantia ly horizontal passage to the water column.

Although I have shown my device arranged with the discharge slot 14 on top of the spout, nevertheless, it is quite feasible, and in some situations in the use of such a device, desirable to have the discharge slot underneath the spout, as for instance, in a device of the type shown in my said patent, N 0. 1,609,218.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character specified, the combination of a water container air locked at the top, and a discharge spout attached to said container substantially below the Water level thereof, said spout being provided with a narrow elongated discharge slot and a larger passage connecting said slot with said water container, and entering it at a position remote from its extremities, said larger pas-' sage comprising a plurality of sections, each sect-ion being substantally and abruptly diminished in cross section as compared with the adjacent section located toward the Water container end of said passage.

2. In a device of the character specified, the combination of a water container air locked at the top, and a discharge spout attached to said container substantially below the water level thereof, said spout being provided with a narrow elongated discharge slot and a larger passage partly underlying said discharge slot which approaches said discharge slot at an angle in a manner whereby said larger passage encounters and communicates with said narrow elongated discharge slot at a position remote from the extremities of said discharge slot.

3. In a device of the character specified, the combination of a water container air locked at the top, and adischarge spout attached to said container substantially below the water level thereof, said spout being provided with a narrow elongated discharge slot and a larger passage partly underlyin said discharge slot which approaches said discharge slot at an angle in a manner whereby said larger passage encounters and communicates with said narrow elongated discharge slot at a position remote from the extremities of said discharge slot, said larger passage comprising a plurality of sections, each section being substantially and abruptly diminished in cross section as compared with the adjacent section located toward the water container end of said passage.

FREDERICK W. STORCK. 

